Resistance, Disobedience and Barbarity: Connecting Walter Benjamin to Decolonial Theory

Tips for the upcoming Winter break

What to read and watch this Winter holiday? According to good tradition, the International Studies Blog has collected tips from your lecturers.

Is Mineral Extraction Really That Bad for Local Communities?

Mining activities have attracted foreign investment to African countries for decades. Its supporters say that mining encourages economic growth, while its detractors argue that this comes at the cost of local communities.

Is Leiden a ‘Neoliberal University’?

Third Year student Federico Arcuri looks back at his time in the Hague and reflects upon the depoliticization of student life at the neoliberal university.

International Studies tips for an inspiring winter break

Every year, Judith Naeff collects recommendations for books and films by lecturers of International Studies to inspire students and colleagues during the long dark days ahead of us.

The Final Year: Reflections and Emotions (2022)

Ana Oleart Rabanal, recent graduate of the B.A. International, reminisces about her third year in the program.

The LU Human Scanners Controversy: is there a better way to think about IT and control?

Two years since classroom scanners were placed at Leiden University to monitor room usage, what have we learnt about the implications of collecting data in public spaces and what can we (and the University) do?

What role should universities play in society? In politics?

University Social Responsibility is a recent concept. We know about Corporate Social Responsibility as an attempt to take the hard edges off free market capitalism, but USR?

Word from the Chair: Ten Years of the BA International Studies

2022 is a major anniversary year. In September 2012 the first students signed up for the BA International Studies in The Hague. The expectation was that the new programme should ideally attract around 250 students a year.